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NIMBYs Butcher Mission Bike Festival

The Mission Bicycle Festival, which goes down Sunday at noon on Lapidge at 18th and is full of fun shit like trackstand competitions, unicycle basketball and other circus-quality events, has fallen prey to the NIMBY neighbors that surround Dolores Park. Originally, MBF was going to be an all day event with lots of live music, music bikes, a community picnic at Mission Pool, food and beer. However, when Mission Bicycle originally proposed the event to the ISCOTT committee (the group that approves street closures for events), a police officer pulled event organizer Jefferson (himself a resident of Lapidge) into the hallway to tell him that there are neighbors known to oppose these events and it would “never happen” unless he personally reached out to the neighbors and worked with them to reshape the event.

Sure enough the officer was right: three neighbors, citing concerns of trash, urine, and noise bothering young children and a man “recovering from cancer,” submitted formal complaints to the committee and the harmless festival was denied. The ISCOTT committee wouldn't tell Jefferson the names of who complained, so in order to actually move forward, he had to ask around and knock on doors. Eventually he found the NIMBYS and they came to a compromise.

The community picnic at the pool was canceled. The festival was forced to keep the event concentrated at the Women's Building to reduce traffic down Lapidge. The event was reduced from all day to 4 hours. Beer was removed from the event and amplified noise was reduced to a pathetic 15 minute window. At that point, the three neighbors actually wrote into the committee to withdraw their opposition while ten neighbors wrote into the board complaining about the event being curtailed.

The latter had no effect: apparently the negative neighbors who are down on bikes enjoy a veto power on community events in this town. I guess this is the city's attitudes towards cyclists and block parties. If some businesses want to shut down 18th street to roast a pig in the middle of the road, it's no worries if it rubs a few neighbors the wrong way, but bikers are left to beg for mercy.

oh dang thats my block yo. actually i live across the skreet from the women’s building so it’s basically my block. i would have been down to complain too, didn’t realize this was actually happening.

this neighbor thing is really getting out of hand tho, i mean it’s almost time to get hella crunk and start destroying the neighborhood. i mean, maybe the nimbs are actually social terrorists attempting to cause such an oppressive climate of oppression that they force the people of the hood into open revolt against ‘the system’.

Remember, even though you all voted for “progressives” the bureaucracy is designed to accomodate the loud few. That’s because if those expensive, fat six figure cops had to do some work, they might break a sweat so of course armed officers are going to use their force to intimidate organizers. And the few loud NIMBYs are welcomed because this now means that many many overpaid stupid city workers won’t have to work as hard for the big pay, big benefits and budget blowing pensions (No on B! No on B!) that they earn at your expense. Who cares if you people pay taxes too, unless you are not a renter, the big paid police, the big paid bureaucrats and workers and the lame asses in City Hall will always keep you down. Bevan for Mayor 2011!!!

Also, big ups to the “cancer patient” for using an emotional card to block this….watch I bet his “cancer” is just his soul rotting for being a douche. TEAMNIMBYFORTHEWIN!

I find the tone a bit much. So yes, you have to talk to the residents of the streets you want to close. And, OMG, it’s better to do that *before* you propose your event. And hey, the cops even warned ‘em about that.

So yeah, a little disappointing, but it went off anyway. Sure looked like fun when I biked past.

i live on Lapidge. it was pretty funny getting Jefferson’s letters, as each successive one made the bike festival smaller and smaller. i was pretty excited about the event, and was there for the neutered version. maybe he’ll be able to expand next year once the guy with cancer is better.